Washing apparatus.



No. 878,544. PATENTBD 19118.11, 1808.

111. 1811011. 111388111118 APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 11.1907.

UNITED STATES PATENT @Eiwit/E..

MEREDITHLEITCH, Ol" ELZABEIH, NEW JERSEY, ASSltNOl, BY )IESNE.ItSSltNMllN'lS T() 4METAL PROCESS COMPANY, A CORPORATlON Ol" ;\`E\\vYORK.

WASHING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. l l, 1908.

Application tiled Februari/11. 1907. Serial No. 356.688.

To' all whom. it may com-cm.: l

Beit known that I, MERnnITi-I LrcrrCn, a citizen of the United States,residing at Elizabeth, Union county, i\' ew Jersey, have inventedcertain new and uselul luiprovevments in Washing Apparatus, ot' whichthe Vfollowing is a full, clear, and exact desc-ription.

)ly invention relates to washing apparatus and has vl`or its object toprovide an apparatus in which the material to be washed will beautomatically moved from the point ol entry to the point ol' dischargeand during. such movement will advance in the opposite direction to thellow of washing water.

It is pzn'ticularly designed for washing black. scrap tin, my purposebeing .to wash the tin after it has come from the caustic soda solutionol a dctinning apparatus, and there.b \r not onlv cleanse the tin butsave the caustic soda. Bv causing the scrap to move in the oppositedirection to the 'llow of the water, it is tirst subjected to watercontaining caustic. soda, for instance, 3%, and then subjected to watercontaining` less caustic soda, sav, 2%, and so on until it meets fresh.water. The last washing is, therel`ore,.with 'l'resh water. The waterlas it leaves the apparatus contains the most caustic. soda and can heconveyed to a suitable evaporator or other device tor reclaimingthecaustic soda. ln'my apparatus the llow ol' water is continuous and thecharging and discharging ot' the tin-scrap are preterabhY continuous.

` The following is a desc-ription otl apparatus embodying mv invention,reference being hadto thc accompanying drawings, in which viltigurc is ahorizontal vertical section through the. center ot' the apparatnsflhg 2is an end view'of the apparatus on a plane at right angles tothe axis olthe cylinder, but slightlyT inclined to the horizontal. .Figa 3 is adiagrammatic view showing the course ol a piece of scrap and waterinpassing through al rotating cylinder whose axis and sides are.oppositely inclined to the horizontal, Referring niore'particularly tothe drawings, A is a water-tight tapering shell, preferably, though notnecessarily, gradually tapering and conical inform and made of sheetsteel. T/Vithin it is a series of studs or projections B, which, as theshell revolves, assist in carrving the scrap up toward the top of ,theshell to a point from whence itfalls'to thel instance, 3%.

bottom. This shell is provided with circular projections C C, which restupon wheels G is a charging chute whercb)v material to be washed isintroduced -into the shell.

Il is a chute receiving the scrap as it is delivered trom the shell.

I is a conduit lor supplying the water.

J is a tunnel lor receiving the water as it llows from the shell andconveying it to an evaporator or othersuitahle reclaiming apparatus.

yThe projections C C are concentric with the axis ot the shell orcylinder A, the projection C being otI slightly smaller diameter thanthe projection C. The wheels D arc also slightly smaller indiameter"than the wheels l). The result is t'hat the. axis ol' theshell, represented bv the dotted linc K, does not coincide with thehorizontal line lli, the axis K at the discharge end ol' the shell beingconsiderably lower than at th'c receiving end and nearer to theperipheries ol' the wheels at the`dischargc end than it is to theperipheries ol' the wheels at the receiving end. The taper ol the shellis such that when mounted with its axis inclined as just described, thebottom at. the lelt hand end is .lower than at the righthand end, sothat water introduced at l will llow toward M.

As is evident in Figs. l and 3 the axis and bottom oll the shell are onopposite sides ol. a horizontal plane passing through thc apex olI theangle. which they torni; that is, a horizontal plane passing through theapex ol' that angle lies between its sidc's. Thus, in a shelleight lectlong, the axis at the discharge cnd would be about 2 inches lower thanat the receivihg end. .ln such a shell, the pins or studs i5 should beprelerabl)r about l'our inches apart, s o as to aid in lilting thcmaterial and causing it to progress. At the receiving end ot' the shelland at other points lalong its bodyv are circular flanges M, M', M2,

which act as dams to separate the water Q, containing ditlerent. amountsol caustic soda thus producing tields of different densities. In thewater-between flanges M and M the caustic soda would be most dense, say,t'or In the space between theA flanges M and M, the caustic sodasolution contains the highest amount ot' caustic soda,

Amadeto pass more rapidly through it.

rate of longitudinal movement also depends vshell lower than at itslarger' end and its bottoni at the largerl end lower than 'at the intosaid cylinder and means for causing said shell lower than at its largerend and its botthe caustic soda solution would be still less dense. Asthe scrap is ted into the left hand end of the shell, it is moved upwardin a plane at right angles to the axis of the shell, as illustrated at Oin Fig. 3. As it falls back, it l'alls in a vertical line, asillustrated at P, in Fig. lt then rises through a plane parallel to thatrepresented by the line O and falls then through a plane parallel tothat represented by the line P, rising and falling and progressing eachtime until it falls into the chute H. The water it first encounters asit progresses it encounters water containing a smaller percentage ofcaustic soda solution. As it leaves the washer, it is subjected to purewater and is quite clean. lfVhenlthe water leaves the washer it has thegreatest amount of caustic soda in the solution.

The action of the apparatus is entirely efficient and economical meansfor the results desired.

By increasing the angle between the cylinder and the horizontal, thescrap can be The producing upon the rate at which the cylinder revolves.Vhat I cla-iin is:

. 1. ln awashing apparatus, the combinatioii of a gradually increasingshell mounted so as to haveits axis atithe smaller end ofthe tom at thelarger end lower than the-smaller end,ineans't`or introducing water intosaid cylinder and means ioi' causing said cylinder to revolve.

2.' ln la washing apparatus, the 'combination of a gradually increasingshell mounted so as to have its axis at the smaller end of the shelllower than at its larger end and its botsnialler end, means lorintroducing water cylinder to revolve, said shell having. a re- .taidingll'ange for holding back the water.

3%. vIn a washing apparatus, the combination of a gradually increasingshell mounted soias to havei-ts yaxis at the smaller .0nd ot the tom atthe larger vend lower than at vthe smaller-"end, means lor introducingwater intosaid'cylinder and means for causing said cylinder to revolve,said shell having a'seiies ot"retardingllanges for producing a pluralityof' fiel-ds of water.

,4. In a washing apparatus, the combination' of a gradual ly increasingshell mounted seas to have its axis at the smaller end ol" thesl'mlllowor thanat its larger end and its botl so as'to have its axis atthe smaller end of the shell lower than at its larger end and itsbottoni. at the larger end lower than at the smaller end, means forintroducing Water into .said cylinder and means for causing 4saidcylinder tov revolve, said shellv having' extern all projectionsconcentric with its axis,

and revoluble wheels on which said projec-A tions rest.

6. lny a washii'igapparatus, the combination el a shell graduallyincreasing in size mounted so as to have 'its axis 'at lits smaller endlower than at its larger end, and its bottom at its larger end lowerthan at its smaller end, means lior introducing Water into said cylinderat its smaller end, external projections upon said shell concentric withits axis, and revoluble wheels on which said projections rest,` thewheels at the smaller end being of less diameter than the wheels at theother end, and having their peripheries at a less dis tance lrom theaxis of the shell.

7 ln a washing apparatus, means for causing the material to be washed torepeatedly move upward through planes inclined to the horizontal andpermitting said material when lifted to li'all by gravity, and means forsubiectin g said material to water when in its lowermost position.

S. In a washing ap aratus, the combination of an inclined sur ace andmeans for re-v peatedly lifting the material operated on from saidinclined surlacc upwardly through planes inclined to the horizontal andmitting said material when so lifted to fall by gravity upon saidinclined surface, the upper end ol said inclined surface being in thedirer-tion toward which the material progresses. 9. In a washingapparatus, the co1nbination of an inclined surface and means forrepeatedly lifting the material operated on trom said inclined surfaceupwari ly through planes'inclined to the horizontal and ermitting saidmaterial when so'li'fted to lfallby gravity upon said inclined surface,the upper end olsaid inclined .surface being in the di rection towardwhich the material progresses, and means for holding water a t' thelower end i ot said. surlacc;

M REDlTll LEITUH.

